


It Runs In The Family

by HayamaRei



Series: Of Thieves and Family Bonds [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: F/M, Gen, because family relationships are my favourite, like grown people do, mother-son bonding, some lighthearted stealing, some truths come out and they'll have to face them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-15 19:09:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16069454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HayamaRei/pseuds/HayamaRei
Summary: Moira's older son, Blaise, is ready to take his life into his own hands and he has it all planned out. But in the real life not everything goes according to plan and sometimes things you believe in aren't always the truth. And sometimes that's for the best.





	It Runs In The Family

**Author's Note:**

> This skips about 4 years from Just Like The Old Times because I already established I cannot keep up a straight timeline. 
> 
> Less romance, more family bonds in this one. Writing from Blaise's pov is super fun and there will be a few more fics like this to come. I haven't abandoned Moira's pov, however so more of those will come as well. As well as someone new, maybe. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Excitement flowed through Blaise as he found the door leading to the Ragged Flagon. His source had told him that was where the Thieves Guild operated from and he really hoped it was true, he didn't want to walk into an ambush. 

Riften was a weird city. His father was from Riften but he often spoke about how glad he was to have gotten away from there. “Full a’crime and scumbags” he used to say. “Reeks of corruption.” His mother didn't talk about Riften a lot. She said she avoided it if she could and that was it. Well, Blaise supposed there weren't many dragons to fight in there. His brother had spent some time in the orphanage there but he rarely spoke about it. Blaise never asked, remembering how closed off Hroar had been when their mom first brought him home. 

He felt a little bit guilty, of course. His parents were righteous people. One of the best blacksmiths in Skyrim and the hero of the lands. His mother was the Dragonborn, thane of more than one hold across the lands, war hero. Blaise couldn't hope to upkeep the legacy. He couldn't kill dragons, his swordsman skills weren't good. He wasn't like his brother who seemed naturally inclined towards working the metals too. But he was fast and he was light on his feet. He had quick fingers and a certain charm with people, enough to talk his way out of trouble. If he could just join the Guild and then operate from Falkreath no one needed to know. 

The Flagon looked different than what he'd imagined it would. He'd expected a run-down corner with rickety chairs and dirty tables and shady-looking people sitting about. What he saw however was nothing close. The big circular space held vendor stands, the smell of brewing potions carried lightly in the air. The middle was filled with water and a pier stood above it with crates and tables placed about. In the far end was the bar. It seemed well stocked, with a warm fire blazing behind it. The place was full of people. Some in normal clothes, others in what he recognized was the Guild armour. It seemed… Nice. At least it wasn't an ambush. 

He walked towards the bar, passing by a broad tall man who grunted at him. Blaise wasn't sure if it was threatening so he just walked a little faster, heart hammering in his chest. 

He didn't miss the way people eyed him as he made his way to the counter. Open interest and curiosity on some of their faces while others were hard to read. He sat on a barstool and forced himself to calm down. 

“Aren't you a little bit young to be here?” The man behind the counter asked as he stood before Blaise. 

“I'm sixteen.” Blaise replied and thanked the Eight his voice didn't waver. “And I'd like some mead.”

The man chuckled but placed a bottle in front of him and took the septims Blaise offered. “What leads you to the Flagon? I don't suppose you're here for the good drinks.” 

Blaise took a gulp from his mead. “I'm looking for a job.” 

The man raised an eyebrow. “The stables are outside of the city doors.”

That comment stung deep in Blaise’s chest. He was never working in stables again! He was going to say just that but then he remembered what his mother often said. ‘Never shout at someone if you can sort it out calmly.’ And while he was almost sure that was a joke on her Dragonborn abilities it was a handy advice. 

“Do I look lost?” He asked instead and the other man smiled. 

“Well kid, I wish you luck then.” He said and went to tend to a short woman with white hair at the other end of the counter. 

Blaise only had time to take another sip before a bald man with Guild armour sat next to him. 

“I heard you're here for a job.” He said casually. Blaise wondered if this man was the leader. His armour was different than the rest. 

“Yes.” Blaise replied confidently. “I think I can make my place in your… organisation.”

The man smirked and reached over the counter to get himself a drink. “And what makes you think that?”

“I'm fast and quiet. Lived on a farm as a kid, I had to learn how to sneak food and stuff without getting caught.” He explained. 

“This isn't a farm, kid.”

Blaise jumped in his seat. He wanted to prove himself, damn it. “Just give me a chance! I'll show you I'm good!” He pleaded. 

The other considered it for a moment and then gave a nod. “Okay. I have a job for you. It's easy enough but it covers the Guild standards. Pull it off without getting caught and I'll recommend you to the leader.”

So he wasn't the leader after all. But someone close enough to him for sure. Blaise could do it. “Okay!”

“The inn up in the city, The Bee and The Barb,” the man started. “They've been using our… services, for years now. Few years back they'd decided not to pay their dues. We dealt with it and they've been regular since. But lately I've been getting word that they're going out of the terms of our arrangement. I want you to remind them that the Guild doesn't mess around. Talen-Jei has an amethyst necklace in his room. He prides himself on owning it. I want you to get it and bring it to me. How you do it is up to you. Don't get caught and don't kill anyone.”

Blaise listened carefully to the instructions and nodded. “Alright. I'll do it.”

“Atta boy. What's your name again?” 

“Blaise.” 

“Alright, I'm Delvin. Pull this job and you might as well be looking at a life filled with gold.” Delvin patted his shoulder and went off to join the white haired woman. 

Well, that went well. 

After finishing his drink Blaise made his way back to the surface and into The Bee and The Barb. 

The inn looked cosy, filled with people having lunch. An Argonian woman tended the counter while a man was sweeping the floor. There were two points of exit, both in plain sight. He pulled his best tired face and went to the counter to get himself a room. The woman took his money and lead him upstairs. Nobody noticed him drop a small pill in one of the beer tankards. The stairs were directly across one of the doors and Blaise filed that information away. It wasn’t hard to guess which door was the one that lead to Talen-Jei’s room and Blaise mentally counted the steps it would take him to get there. The lock on the door seemed old, easy to crack. He could be done in a matter of minutes.

He thanked the woman and closed his doors, pretending to go to bed while counting down the seconds in his mind until the pill would dissolve and create his opening. 

Sure enough as soon as he reached zero ruckus started down below and Blaise jumped to his feet. Steps going downstairs and voices shouting as the room filled in with smoke and he started counting down the time he had. Cracking the first lock was easy and he entered the room unnoticed. The strongbox was trickier. 

He knew how to crack them, had practiced on the ones in the basement in the manor when he was left alone in the house with only Rayya as company. But they took a lot more precision than door locks. Twenty seconds. He was almost there. Fifteen. The shouting started dying out. Twelve, footsteps near the stairs. Got it! Blaise grabbed the necklace and dove for his room, the door clicking shut behind him just as the footsteps reached the landing. In a hurry he shoved the necklace in the hollow compartment of his shoe’s sole and got into bed. 

“It’s gone!” Talen-Jei exclaimed outside moments later. “Thief!” 

The door to his room was slammed open and Talen-Jei stormed in. “Was it you?! It was you, wasn’t it?!”

Blaise feigned being woken up. “What is going on?” 

“Don’t play dumb boy! My necklace is gone and you took it! You’re the only one on this floor!” Talen-Jei fumed. 

“Sir, I have been asleep this whole time. I travel from far I’m tired. I swear I have no idea what you mean.” He said innocently. 

 

“Then you won’t mind if I searched you.”

Blaise stood up. “Please, anything to prove my innocence.” He said and spread his arms. 

The Argonian patted him down, checked his pockets, turned the room upside down, even checked the pillows. Blaise patiently stood there and waited for it to pass. In the end Talen-Jei looked ashamed and Blaise had to stop himself for grinning in triumph. 

“My apologies boy. With the Thieves Guild in the city I’m not very trusting of people I don’t know.” 

Blaise offered a friendly smile. “That is alright sir. But I’m sure you’ll understand that I want to leave now. All this thief talk… I don’t feel very safe in here anymore.”

Talen-Jei looked regretful but didn’t stop Blaise from exiting the building. 

As he’d told Talen-Jei he left Riften and waited in the nearby woods for sundown, not wanting to draw attention to himself by going into the Ratway right after the theft. He wondered how often his mother camped in woods like that. Sometimes she was gone months at a time, sending letters from different parts of Skyrim, sometimes describing her adventures, sometimes just saying how much she loved them. Blaise kept all of the ones addressed to him in a journal he would read sometimes. When he was little he’d wanted to go out with her. To fight dragons and bandits and face the dangers she did. She knew that and would spar him when home and let him win, teach him the words to the shouts she used and he’d scream them around the house. Then he grew up and he didn’t get better with the sword so she started teaching him how to work with plants instead. How to make different potions. Soon he was good enough to make new ones, like the pill he’d used to make the distraction. She was always proud when he showed her his newest creation. Blaise was closer to her than Hroar was and that little selfish part of him liked to think she loved him more than she did his brother. 

As the last rays of light fell behind the mountains he sneaked back into the city and inside the Ratway. The Flagon was busy despite the late hour and Blaise walked in proudly, his bounty clutched in his hand. Delvin grinned when he saw him. 

“There you are!” He exclaimed and stood up. “Word got to us that the necklace was stolen, good job on the distraction.” He praised and Blaise smiled as he passed the jewel over. 

“Does this mean I’m in?” He asked hopefully. 

“This means you’ve got my vote. The boss is the one with the final word.” Delvin said and gestured for Blaise to follow him into a corridor to the right of the counter. “But I wouldn’t worry too much. With my approval and your skill she’ll most likely say yes.”

She. So the leader was a woman. It was no surprise that a woman managed such a successful ring. His household was ruled by two women, they knew how to do things right.

They walked through a false wardrobe into another corridor with a door at the end. “This is the main headquarters. Don’t touch anything.” Delvin chuckled and pushed the door open. Loud voices echoed off the walls as they stepped in. “Uh-oh, mom and dad are arguing again.” The man rolled his eyes. 

“We are not sending Ravyn into the most heavily guarded bandit camp in all Tamriel for a gem, Brynjolf!” The voices were coming from behind a paravan, the people hidden from sight. For some reason Blaise felt uneasy.

“He’s an ex-assassin, lass, he knows how to take care of himself!”

“I know how to take care of myself and even I don’t go there! Especially not for a SINGLE gem!”

“A gem that costs almost as much as a Falmer Eye!”

“I’m not going to risk a member’s life over fortune and you are damn well aware of that!”

“But… Aye. You’re right, I’m sorry.” The male voice said more quietly in surrender. 

Delvin let out a breath next to Blaise. “Sorry about that. They argue sometimes, couple’s quarrels nothing serious. You get used to it.” Blaise forced on a smile but there was something in his gut that was screaming at him to run. “Boss! I bring you a new recruit!” Delvin called out and it was too late to run now. 

The people behind the paravan shuffled about and in a second showed themselves. Blaise froze. So did the woman several feet across from him. 

“Mom?” He choked out when he found his voice and both the other men whipped their heads to look at him. 

His mother blinked. “Blaise, what are you doing here?” She asked with authority in her voice he’d never heard directed at him. 

“I could ask you the same question.” He shot back. “Why are you here? Why are you dressed like that? Why did he call you boss?” 

The man next to his mother put a hand on her shoulder. “I think you should take this somewhere private, lass.” He said softly and Blaise didn’t miss the way she leaned into his touch before nodding. 

“Follow me.” She told Blaise and without waiting headed towards a corridor to the side. She lead them into a side room filled with dummies and targets. There was a man shooting arrows at a high target. He stopped when they entered. 

“Niruin, can we have some privacy please?” His mother spoke gently. “Tell the others not to disturb us, too.”

“Yes, boss.” The man, Niruin, said and left after directing a friendly smile at Blaise. He didn’t return it. 

As soon as they were alone his mother turned towards him. “I ask you again - what are you doing here?” The authority in her voice was back but only slightly. 

“I came to join the Guild.” He replied, knowing that talking to his mother was a two-way path. If he wanted answers he had to give her some as well. 

Her eyes sharpened. “No.”

“What?”

“I said no. You’re not joining the Guild.” She said again. 

“But why?!” 

“Because it’s too dangerous.”

Blaise felt anger spark in him. “It’s too dangerous for me but not for you?! You’re the Guild Master, ma! How come you never thought of mentioning that! Does dad know???”

She visibly flinched at his words and let out a long sigh. “No, he doesn’t.” 

He’d thought so. “Are you really an adventurer?”

“Yes. Sometimes.”

“So, the times you’ve sent us letters from your trips… You weren’t always there.” It wasn’t a question but she still nodded. “Tell me the truth. Please.”

His mother took a deep breath and sat down on a chest by the entrance. “I’ve been in the Guild since before I knew I was the Dragonborn. I came to Skyrim… I came to be a thief.” Blaise’s eyebrows shot up but he didn’t interrupt. “And my path lead me to Riften where Brynjolf saw the potential in me and invited me to join. I have always been a thief in my heart. I helped the Guild raise to its current status and they made me a Master for it. That was before I had you and Hroar, before I married your father.” She looked down at her hands. “When I found out I was the Dragonborn I tried to leave this behind and be the hero everyone thought I was. I got you and your brother, not as a charity case, don’t get me wrong I love both of you and one way or another you would have ended up with me no matter what I’m sure of it. And then I met your father and he was the normalness I needed in my life to keep me away from the Guild.”

“Doesn’t seem like it worked.” Blaise couldn’t stop himself from saying. His mother laughed.

“No, it didn’t. No matter what I did I always ended up here. In the end I stopped trying to fight it. I split up my time between being the hero of Skyrim and being who I really am.”

“Why didn’t you tell us? We are your family.” Why didn’t she tell _him_?

“Balimund hates Riften for its crime, you know that.” He did. “I didn’t want you kids to carry the secret like a burden too.”

Blaise nodded. He understood even if it hurt him knowing she kept it from him. “What about Brynjolf?” He asked, remembering the name she’d shouted when they entered. 

Physically she didn’t even bat an eye but something in her eyes changed. “What about him?” She asked, too casually. Like it was rehearsed. 

“I’m not stupid, ma. How long has it been going on?” 

She took a while to answer, just looking at Blaise with sad eyes. “Do you really want to know this?”

“I just want the truth.”

“Five years.” She said quietly. “It started five years ago.”

Blaise bit his lip and nodded. He’d known his father wasn’t the type of person who swept his mother off her feet. He’d suspected she didn’t really love him, that their relationship was more out of respect, at least for her. But having it confirmed… It cut in deep.

“I love dad.” He said. “He’s great. He loves you.”

“I know.”

“Are you going to leave him?”

“No. I’m not.”

“So you’re just going to lie to him?”

She winced. “It’s best for all of us like that. He’s happy.”

She was right. His father was content with their life. His mother never mistreated him, never ignored him.

“Is he good to you? Brynjolf?” He asked because what else could he do? If he was his brother he’d probably storm out of there, screaming and furious. Blaise was calculating by nature. He dealt with his problems with his mind not with a fist.

“He is,” she said and the tiny smile on her face was genuine. “He gets on my nerves and he can be as stubborn as a mule sometimes, but there’s no one who gets me like he does. He makes me feel complete.” 

Blaise chuckled. “You sound like a kid with a crush.” 

“I can still ground you, you know.” She shot back, the relief on her face enormous. 

“You won’t.” He said and moved to stand in front of her. “You love me too much.” 

In a second he was enveloped in a tight hug. “I do. You’re still not joining the Guild though.”

“What?! Come on!” Blaise pulled away at once.

“I won’t risk you like this.”

“Actually lass, I say we give him a chance.” Brynjolf was standing at the entrance.

Blaise stared at him. “How long have you been there?”

“Since the start.” His mother replied. “He has no sense of privacy. And again. Still no.” 

“Sorry lad, can you leave us alone for a moment? I need to talk to your mother.” Brynjolf asked Blaise and after a moment the boy agreed and left. What was with the name calling and this guy?

He went to sit on a chair in the other side of the Cistern, trying to avoid eavesdropping. At some point the couple’s voices echoed against the walls again, too far away for words to actually make sense. Ten minutes after that they came back out. Brynjolf looked pleased while his mother stone cold.

“Fine.” She told him curtly. “You can stay and prove yourself.” Blaise was about to start cheering when she lifted up a finger to stop him. “But! You stay in and train until I clear you for field duty. You train with everyone, everyday, until your skills are polished to perfection. No complaining or I will kick you out. I will not let my son go out unprepared and get himself killed.” Last words were directed at the man beside her. 

“I will! I will become the best thief in all Tamriel you have my word!” Blaise exclaimed. “I won’t let you down, ma!”

“I never thought you will.” She said, voice soft once again. “Now go with Delvin. Lessons start immediately.”

Moira watched Blaise follow Delvin out with heavy heart. Brynjolf wrapped his arm around her waist. “He’ll be okay.” He said.

“I hope so.”

“He has the same look you had in your eyes all those years ago. You trusted me then, trust me now. He’s your son. The Guild won’t know what hit it.”

Moira smiled and leaned against her lover. “Yeah, you’re right.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Let me know in the comments. 
> 
> Next one will be up when I end up editing it.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
